


We Drown in the Tempest

by yvie



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Enemies to Lovers, Fantasy AU, M/M, Magic, Merprince Ten, Pirate AU, Pirate Captains Johnny and Taeyong, Polyamory, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, mermaid au, some minor characters from other kpop bands, the rest of nct will eventually appear as supporting characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-05-31 18:56:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15125810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yvie/pseuds/yvie
Summary: A pirate's calling is to sail across terrifying waves and face nautical horrors to attain that precious golden bounty.Enemy pirate captains Scarlet and Titan, truly named Taeyong and Youngho respectively, are tired of gold, however. They seek the Onyx Ring, owned by the prince of the merfolk, Ten, for reasons of their own. The ring was said to give the wearer immortality and endless power, but how exactly will they acquire it when the bored Prince Ten lives in the bottom of the most treacherous seas and absolutely detests humans, especially pirates?





	1. i.

**Author's Note:**

> greetings! so straight from my taeten fic, i come back with my promised johntaeten pirate au! i've recently been so interested in the aesthetic of pirates and pirate ships, and i decided to mix that in with merfolk as well. i'm actually so excited to write more of this fic, so please look forward to more of this soon.

A burnt piece of red fabric suspended on the mainmast battled with the treacherous winds that fought it. The fabric had a mark on it - a single black rose in the middle, the same shape that was scorched under Taeyong’s right eye as a child.

“Captain Scarlet” they called him.

He was known for relentless and bloody conquests. His crew would fire cannons to break down the foundations of the ship that dared to cross their path, and then his gunmen would scurry over to get blood with their sharp knives and swords. They would return with mountains of gold and treasure. He was called Scarlet for his hair, stained red with the blood of those whose lives he had ended.

Taeyong once had the most beautiful icy locks, as his family did. His hair was as white as the pristine snow in the middle of a wintry forest. But now, his hair was dark crimson. Red, like the flag his ship waved. Red, like his ship. Red, like the blood on Jaehyun’s head when pummeled onto side of the deck.

The captain immediately rushed to his first mate’s aid, trying to maintain his balance as the ship was moving from one side to another. The storm was brutish and loud, nor did the rain seem to be stopping at any time. His crewmates especially hated lightning, since it would make them jump and lose focus.

He tore a portion of his white sleeve with his teeth, and wrapped a bandage on Jaehyun’s head.

“Are you alright?” asked Taeyong, his voice barely audible from the thunder and the rainfall.

Jaehyun was still not quite alright, his head was still slightly jostled but he managed a small smile. Taeyong patted Jaehyun on the shoulder and helped him up, careful not to make anything worse.

“Can you still attend to the rigging?” The captain asked.

“Y-yes, Captain,” Jaehyun struggled to speak. “But Jisung and Jungwoo are in the quarters, Doyoung is treating them. They are much worse off than I am.”

Taeyong shook his head, helpless. Jaehyun proceeded to unravel the ropes to the mainsails, to balance the ship and slow down its trajectory. He wondered if this journey indeed this was a good idea. They were only at the entrance of Scylla’s Pass when he realized that he would not only be risking his own life, but the lives of his crew members. These were new crew members that he had grown to love as a family, not the ones that helped him with their bloody conquests. They were his best friends, and learned to love him despite of his troubled past.

“How is your hunger, sir?” Jaehyun prodded.

The captain touched his throat, and gulped. His cravings had been quenched for the week, so he would not need to seek any forbidden pleasures for at least the duration of the trip. If they survive the trip, even. Taeyong was now doubtful any of them could make it out alive in this, but he did not make it known.

“Captain,” it was Seulgi.

Taeyong turned around to face her, afraid of what the news his navigator might bring. She stood with her compass in hand, and the metal hands of the contraption were waving around as if in a frenzy. Seulgi’s face was perplexed, and worried.  

“We have been thrown off north,” she told him, “at this point I do not know where we are headed. I cannot read the stars, the clouds are much too dark for me to see any stars.”

Taeyong locked his jaw and ran over to the bow of the ship, where Yuta was struggling to keep the ship in a steady position as he struggling to hold the wheel in place.

“How are we holding up, Yuta?” Taeyong asked over his shoulder.

“Not much, Cap,” Yuta told him with a grin that did not suit the situation. “If this was our last voyage together I’ll just have you know -”

“Shut your mouth, Yuta,” Taeyong shot a dark look at his crewmate. “None of us are going to die here.”

Yuta shrugged, keeping that same smug look in his face. “Yeah, if this ship doesn’t capsize, it’d be the merfolk that will come after our lives.”

Ah, merfolk. They ruled these seas, which made sense why the waters were so treacherous. The waves here were bigger, the winds more relentless. Taeyong could guess that this was not an accident. Scylla’s Pass, they called these seas. Legends said that no one got out of the Pass alive, but if they did, they were probably devoured by the merfolk.

Taeyong held the knob of the wheel, narrowing his eyes as he tried to locate something, _anything_ that indicated that there was land close by. He reached for his pocket, and expanded his telescope. He searched and searched for a single patch of land, but there was nothing in the vast darkness that the merfolk had created for them.

So this was the fate of their crew.

He scampered down to the quarters, where Jisung and Jungwoo were. Jisung had sprained the elder’s ankles when they were tasked to carry the barrels of ale and mead down to the storage deck. The waves were not kind to them, and as the wave crashed into the boat, Jisung dropped the barrel. The barrel, then, rolled into Jungwoo’s kneecaps, causing them to break.

He knocked twice. “Captain here.”

“Come in, Captain,” Doyoung called.

Taeyong found them in the infirmary. Jungwoo was being tended to by Doyoung, and Jisung was there on the bed with him, with a face that was begging for forgiveness. Luckily, there was no blood to be sighted in the scene, except for the dried blood on Doyoung’s gloves.

“Jungwoo,” Jisung sobbed, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!”

Jungwoo only shook his head gently. “It wasn’t your fault, Jisungie,” he said in a soft tone.

He was perhaps the kindest soul in the ship, and Taeyong wondered why Jungwoo ever considered a life of piracy. He was too soft, too fragile. Then again, they needed a cook, and whenever Taeyong was too busy to do so, Jungwoo could do that for them. Taeyong’s heart ached to know that he would lose all these people because of his selfish pursuit of that ring. The doctor stood up and arranged the bandages into a clean roll and placed them on the shelf for later use.

“I need to talk to you, Doyoung.” Taeyong clenched his fist, not wanting to show any signs of hopelessness to the younger ones.

Jaehyun might have been his best friend, but Doyoung was the one he could rely on for serious matters such as these. Doyoung’s lips were strained for a moment, scared of what Taeyong’s words had to bring. He handed Jungwoo a bit of liquid medicine just in case his wound would start hurting again, and he gave Jisung the responsibility of taking care of the elder. The younger ones exchanged looks of worry, then jolted when another clap of thunder and bolt of lightning hit the water close to them.

Taeyong led Doyoung outside the quarters. The storm was only getting stronger and stronger. Taeyong sighed, suddenly afraid for the lives of the people he loved the most.

“Do you want me to address you as Captain Scarlet, or Taeyong?” Doyoung asked as he stripped off his bloody gloves.

“The latter, please.”

“If you’re scared for us, Taeyong, don’t even bother.”

Taeyong reacted as if he was verbally smacked in the face. Doyoung gave the captain, who now looked like a scared boy, a small smile.

“We agreed to this, did we not? You warned us about the consequences, about how this voyage would most likely fail. And,” Doyoung looked at the small circular window for a dramatic pause as another bolt of lightning fell to the water. “It probably will, but this was not your sole decision, Taeyong. We knew what we were getting ourselves into.”  

Taeyong’s lips thinned. There was still this feeling of guilt.

“I can’t lose any of you,” he croaked.

Doyoung gave his captain the warmest hug he could possibly muster against the cold gusts of wind, and told him he had to get back to the younger ones to tend to Jungwoo. Taeyong returned to the top deck, where the other crew members were struggling to keep the ship in good condition.

Unbeknownst to him, there was a spectator from underwater that was cackling at all their futile attempts to fight against the waves of Scylla’s Pass. There he sat, on a throne made up of the strongest corals and a crown made up of seashells adorned with precious jewels: the prince of the merfolk: Ten. He had eyes that could see all that occured within the nautical boundaries of the pass, which he showed his other subjects through a reflection in the water.

“‘I can’t lose any of you,’ he said!” Ten let out a cackle, and all the fish that surrounded him laughed with him. Then his voice darkened. “He should have thought of that before he murdered islands and ships full of people.”

Ten looked on, his chin perched on his webbed hand, which was adorned in twinkling black scales. The merprince’s tail, too, had glittering black scales that would change in color according to the light that reflected them. His arms had fins on them as well. Merfolk were thought to be the ugliest creatures in the sea, but Ten alone could prove them all wrong. No human ever saw merfolk and lived to tell the tale, after all. Anything that killed humans relentlessly, therefore, were ugly creatures.

Like that Captain Scarlet, Ten thought.

“What kind of torment are you inflicting upon the humans again, Ten?” Kun, one of Ten’s brothers, swam over to look at whatever Ten and the other fishes were looking at as well.

“The demise of Captain Scarlet,” Ten told him, not even looking at the other merman. His eyes were glistening as he spoke. He waved his arm  from one side to another and with that, formed a huge wave that nearly tossed the ship over. Ten cackled again as he watched the pirate captain scramble to keep himself on his feet.

“Ah, Captain Scarlet! The one with the thirst for blood,” Kun said, nodding. “What idiocy made him come here, to the Pass?”

“He’s after this.” Ten tapped at the onyx band attached to his bare chest.

It was the Onyx Ring of Immortality. Humans had only heard about it in legends. The ring was said to cause immortality to those who wore it, and endless power as well. Ten knew that Scarlet wanted this. For what reason? He did not know, but it was possibly to quench his lust for blood. Ten, of course, will never allow such a precious artifact to fall into the hands of someone so evil. He covered the ring with his hand, protecting it. He would die without it.

“Your Highness!”

A voice called for Ten from the east, and even if was just a silhouette, Ten knew that it was Yukhei, the head of the guards, who came with an important message as he was swimming at full speed. Yukhei bowed down, waiting to be acknowledged before he spoke.

“Yukhei, what is it?”

“Your Highness, in the perimeter -- ” Yukhei’s breathing was labored and heavy.

“Breathe, Xuxi. Is there another ship coming?”

“Yes, you should be able to sense it very soon, I think.”

Ten leaned forward, interest evident in his gleaming eyes. “Well, who is it?”

Before Yukhei could answer, another ship entered Ten’s line of vision, and he projected it on the water’s reflection, right beside his vision for Scarlet. It was another pirate ship, with the statue of a screaming siren on the hull. Ten scanned the ship even more and saw a black flag with the tail of the siren painted in white.

“Titan,” Ten growled.

The fish scurried backward, suddenly afraid. Titan, better known to the merfolk as the Siren Slayer. So he was in Scylla’s Pass as well, possibly in search of the immortality ring as well. Ten looked back and forth between Scarlet and Titan. He sat back in his throne, biting his lip and watched what the great Titan would do next.  

“Youngho,” Joohyun put a hand on the captain’s shoulder, since Youngho was lost in his thoughts.

“Sister,” Youngho said, in a tone that was thankful his line of thought was interrupted. “What is it?”

He was afraid, of course. No one had ever made it out of Scylla’s pass alive, and they were also coming into the territory of the merfolk - the ones who had infected his brother Mark with his incurable disease. He had plenty of thoughts in his head, especially after seeing that a storm was brewing right in the middle of the pass.

“We could turn back,” she told him, her tone gentle.

“No,” Youngho’s resolve as clear. “We have to save Mark, no matter what.”

“Are you even sure we’ll live, Youngho?”

He stiffened his upper lip, and fixed his posture. There was plenty of things Youngho was afraid of, but if it was for his family, he would do anything and everything. He put his hand on Joohyun’s, to warm it a little. She smiled at him, before she excused herself back into the quarters.

He could already hear the thunder approaching, and they were only just past the perimeter.

“Hoist the sails,” Youngho told Jeno and Jaemin, who were in charge of the rigging, “we’re heading to the storm.”

  



	2. ii.

Ten was a prince who had everything in his fingertips. He had immense power, he had no need for riches since life underwater had no need for useless gold. Instead, he had subjects who loved him, and he loved them as well. Whatever the pirates sought, he could never truly understand because that was not the life he was born into. 

His father raised him in luxury and in hatred of humans, so that was all Ten knew. He was raised with two brothers, Kun and Sicheng, but since Ten was the eldest among the three, he was the one treated with utmost specialty. Mermaid servants would be on his tail to make sure that his scales were always shiny, and his hair never in tangles. Prince Ten, as well as his brothers, grew up to be fine mermen, fine enough to run the kingdom. 

The King fell ill however, and slowly he started to pass on his gifts to Ten. First, the Onyx Ring, then the Sight. Both processes were extremely excruciating to Ten, having a band of onyx seared into one’s skin. Then, Ten’s eyes were replaced with that of his father’s. 

Ever since his father passed on the sight, which allowed him to see everything that occurred within the reaches of Scylla’s Pass, to him, all he could see was the selfishness of humans. There were huge ships that crossed the Pass, carrying loads and loads of gold and Ten would sink them with a single wave of his hand without any sort of remorse. What use did humans have for these, anyway, he thought? All this gold, and for what? Ten never understood that as thousands of gold coins trickled down the ocean bed and into their underwater kingdom. 

Then came Scarlet and Titan, these enigmas. If Ten thought humans were baffling, he found these two even more baffling. The two captains did not carry gold with them on their voyage. They carried nothing but food and drinks, enough to supply them perhaps a month. For a second, Ten wondered if human beings really could function outside of greed and power lust. There was a kindness Ten saw in these two, a kindness he knew he could not trust. 

He had been told by the other princes that Titan and Scarlet were the worst of pirates through stories. Scarlet would kill relentlessly. He would color the seas crimson with the blood of his enemies. Meanwhile, Titan loved to destroy. He loved to take and take, all that he could find. If Scarlet was violence personified, Titan would be treachery. 

Ten concluded, then, that Titan and Scarlet did not have greed running through their veins, no, because what made Scarlet tick was blood, and what Titan wanted was personal gratification. 

Ten watched them using his sight, his attention trained this time on Titan entirely. He leaned forward, webbed hands clasped on the coral throne as he watched the tall man struggle for his life against the angry winds. 

“Are you afraid, Jaemin?” Youngho asked, his tone gentle but at the same time still contained that commandeering nature. 

“I-” Jaemin’s hands were gripping tight on the rope. He had been trying to untangle the knots for the past few minutes now, but his hands simply won’t cooperate. 

Jaemin was a frail boy, but handsome. He looked almost like royalty, but he was a starving orphan with brittle bones, hollowed cheeks and half-torn clothes when Youngho hired him to join their crew. Now that he was somewhat well fed with bread and ale, Jaemin had grown into a formidable man. Like a flower. Youngho theorized that Jaemin was the bastard son of some esteemed noble who threw the child to the street. 

Youngho stepped forward and helped the younger boy untie the knot and hoist the sails. Immediately, the ship surged closer to the storm, and everyone lurched forward with the motion. Jeno was thrown across the ship, and Youngho helped him up.

Jeno had always been a mystery to Youngho. He had been almost like a rabid child when Youngho found him in the street one day, swiping food from a food vendor.  The only one that could calm him was Jaemin. Jeno grew to be a handsome boy as well, with a sweet smile that could make anyone swoon, but Jeno was firmly attached to Jaemin. 

These two boys were Youngho’s newest recruits. They were attached by the hip, and simply won’t survive without each other’s company. Youngho picked up orphaned children who had no where else to go and would ask them to join his crew if they were willing. As soon as the children found out that he was Titan and captained the  _ Siren’s Call _ , however, they would cower and run away. 

Jeno and Jaemin were absolutely sure they would not be scared of “some ship.” Youngho concluded that the two had no idea what the  _ Siren’s Call  _ was and who Titan was as well, which was probably why they joined so willingly.

Still, Youngho found good brothers in them. So good that it scared him to know that he would be losing them if this conquest failed. 

The mission was to cross the Pass and find the cave of Scylla, which would supposedly be the entrance to the land of the merfolk. Of course, no one had ever entered it and lived to tell the tale. All Youngho had was stories, and belief that somehow they could get there. 

When he was younger, Youngho had always believed and respected merfolk. His parents would put him and his siblings on their laps and tell them the most amazing stories of the king of the merfolk and how beautiful they would make the seas when the sun would set. He would tell stories of beautiful mermaids perched on tall rocks that would comb their soft hair on makeshift combs made out of seashells. Youngho’s father loved the merfolk, and he was always so amused by them. He trusted them, but they betrayed him. 

His father was a voyager, so that meant that Youngho was quite accustomed to water. He, his elder sister, Joohyun and his younger brother, Mark were people who loved being at sea. That was until tragedy struck.

One night at sea, their voyager ship he and his family were on was ambushed by sirens: a different kind of merfolk that preyed on human flesh. They took their father underwater, and killed their mother by slashing her throat with their sharp claws. Mark was bitten on the arm by one, and on the leg by another. Youngho was raised in his youth to take care and love the merfolk, but this time he was left with no choice. With teary ears and a terrified heart, he took his father’s rifle and shot at the creatures, praying to a kind deity that he would not accidentally hit Mark. 

Since then, Youngho had never been the same towards the sea. He detested it, and yet still found a strange pull to it. It was almost as if he craved it. He craved the smell of it; he craved the adventure. Perhaps that was what made him his father’s son. 

Youngho turned around when he heard someone limping from behind him on the wooden deck. 

“Mark! You shouldn’t be out,” Youngho said as he ran over to his brother.

“You kidding!” Mark grinned, somehow cheerful and giddy. “We’re in Scylla’s Pass! I’ve always wanted to come here.”

Mark looked around at the vast nothingness that was Scylla’s Pass. There was nothing but murky waters and dark clouds around them, but for some reason Mark still saw the view like he was watching the Northern Lights strewn across the sky, instead of gloomy clouds.

Youngho smiled at him, unable to resist his brother’s jolliness. “Go back to your quarters, Mark.” He put his hand on the boy’s back. “We can’t have you getting sick over the storm.” 

Mark shrugged his arms and gestured to the bandages that covered his entire body. His arm was thoroughly wrapped up in white clothing, and his leg was enclosed in it as well. It had been this way since he was bitten, always wrapped in bandages to hide the horrid wound which left a dark scar on Mark’s hand. 

“I’m already pretty sick, Youngho,” Mark said, “can’t I at least just see this once?”

“...The storm?”

“Yeah! The tossing ship,” Mark swayed back and forth to make an impression of an imbalanced ship, “the panic in everyone’s faces…” 

“I think you’d be the first one to panic out of all of us, Mark,” interjected Donghyuck, Mark’s best friend, who had slid down from the mainmast after keeping watch with his telescope.

“As if you know anything, Hyuck,” Mark playfully raised his eyebrows at his friend. “I’m not scared.”

Suddenly, there was a clap of thunder. Sure enough, the first person to shudder was Mark. Jeno was off to the side, laughing at the display.

“Shut up, Jeno,” Mark rolled his eyes. Jeno was still laughing, and Jaemin had to punch him in the arm to stop. 

Youngho watched them with a smile on his face. It’s always nice to be young and ignorant of the destruction that will come upon you in the next coming hours. However, he knew that Mark wasn’t being ignorant of the danger. In fact, Mark knew the danger the most.

Mark yelled as a sharp pain surged into his arms and legs, making him fall to the floor. This was  what would always happen whenever Mark sensed the presence of merfolk close by. His wounds would send a stabbing pain throughout his body that would make him topple to the floor in agony. Youngho dashed to him, and cradled his little brother in his arms in an attempt to calm him down.

“Mark!” He called to his brother, who was whimpering in pain on the ground. “I told you not to come…” his voice was low and mournful as he sat beside his brother.

“S-shut up, Youngho,” the younger told the captain, clasping tight at his bandaged wounds, “how else will you know if merfolk were near if not for me? We could all get lost…”  

Youngho bit his lip. If Mark hadn’t insisted, he would never have let him come here. The pain for him was too immense, and Youngho hated seeing him this way. It drove him insane, but he could not deny that the fact that Mark’s wounds could sense a merfolk near would be incredibly useful on this journey. The captain held the boy in his arms for a moment, before asking Donghyuck to escort him back to his chambers immediately. Donghyuck, in an attempt to lighten up the mood, lifted Mark as he would lift a bride, and Mark had to smack him in the arm before he was let down and help his limping, weak friend.  

“Ever the softie, are we, Captain?” Taeil, his first mate, smiled at him.

“This has to be the single most deadly voyage we have ever taken,” Youngho said. 

“And we are fully prepared for it. We have maps, the best compasses!”

“Yes, and Prince Ten could manipulate them all with a wave of his finger. He could lead us away from the path and kill us all in a whirlpool.”

“You’re being negative, Captain.” Taeil put a hand on Youngho’s shoulder, and that calmed him.

“Do you really think we can make it, Taeil?” 

“Of course, Captain. When have we ever failed?”

From underwater, Ten’s lips curved to a wicked smile. A smile that made Kun worry for a moment. He raised his hand, and from underneath the  _ Siren’s Call _ grew a tall wave that raised the boat to a great height. The younger crew members ran to each other and held hands, afraid. Youngho told them all to stay calm and stay still - they will survive this, despite the fact that the  _ Siren’s Call  _ was riding on a tall wave that could lead to a horrifying crash at any second.

Ten was wiping his tears away with laughter at the sight before him. Ah, the Titan. So tall, so brusque. There was a scar that ran down his left eye which he covered with an eyepatch. The great Titan, and all he could do to defeat the man was a wave of his hand? 

Pathetic. 

However, Ten thought it would be much too easy if he would just kill Titan that easily. True, he could capsize the boat in one motion, but these two - Scarlet, and Titan - for them to come into his boundaries at the same time. It must have been fate! The Heart of Scylla must me smiling down on him, to give him the responsibility of bringing these two ambitious men to their demise. 

Ten drummed his fingers on his throne, deep in thought about what to do with these pirate captains.

“What are you going to do, Ten?” Kun asked, as if he wasn’t already thinking of that.

“I want to play with them,” Ten said, leaning forward to watch the terrified expressions of the captains before his eyes. 

“You’re going to interact with humans?!” Yukhei exclaimed, shocked, before adding, “...Your Highness?”

“Oh no, Ten,” Kun warned him, “you remember the last time a mermaid tried to talk to a human before…”

“I know, I know, she turned into sea foam,” Ten groaned, rolling his eyes, “but do remember, dear brother. I am Prince Ten. I have powers no one else can possess. If it is the Heart of Scylla’s will that Scarlet and Titan are coming for me, then it is Her will that I shall intervene with them.”

Kun, finding no other argument to that, simply sighed. “Alright, but do not cause any trouble for yourself.” 

“Dear brother, when have I ever caused trouble for myself?” Ten grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

He drew his attention back to Scarlet, and spun his hands around in a circle to conjure a whirlpool just where Scarlet’s ship was about to approach. The seas curled slowly, until it became a swirling vortex of aquatic doom.

“W-what is that!” Jaehyun exclaimed when he saw the waters swirling right in front of them.

“...A maelstrom.” Doyoung said, as his voice lost all hope.

Taeyong expanded his telescope and went to confirm it for himself. His breath grew heavy and his heart was pounding too fast in his chest. No, they were not supposed to end this way. Taeyong dashed to the quarters were Jisung, Jungwoo and Seulgi were and told everyone to follow him there as well.

“You have to get out,” Taeyong begged, “take the spare boat. Please.”

“No,” Seulgi said, “none of us are getting on that spare boat.”

Everyone else nodded in agreement. 

“We’re going down this ship with you, Captain,” Jaehyun told him, making a determined fist with his hands. 

“We’re in this together,” Jungwoo added.

Just then, they all felt the ship jostle, as if being hit by an earthquake. They held their heads close, so they wouldn’t hit the ceiling. They were already entering the perimeter of the whirlpool. He felt the ship tilting upward slowly.

Taeyong held his hands out, so everyone could hold hands together in a circle one last time. 

“I’m sorry… I’m so, so sorry…” Taeyong’s head was dipped low - he was trying not to cry. He knew that the rest of his shipmates were as afraid as he was. Taeyong was holding Jisung’s hand, and the boy was trembling, but he did not show it. Instead, he flashed a smile at his captain.

“Well fellas, it was nice knowing you.” Yuta gave a bright grin as he squeezed Jaehyun and Jungwoo’s hands. 

They heard another noise, as if the ship was being chewed on by a large mouth. The upwards tilt was getting faster, but they were all holding back their screams. Doyoung’s lips were tightly shut, but Taeyong knew that he was the one who wanted to yell the loudest. 

Taeyong started to hear the sound of the water getting closer and closer, the current was quickly and surely about to hit the quarters soon enough. They were going under, and fast. Taeyong’s crew scooted closer together, and Taeyong could sense Jisung whimpering already. 

Has he failed as a captain?

The last thing Taeyong felt was being dragged to the wall unconscious after the ship was upright. He had braced death, entirely. He knew the mission was bound to fail. 

In fact, he felt  _ so _ dead that paradise greeted him quickly. 

He woke to the sensation of warm sand underneath his cold body. He thought he would vomit out water, but his throat felt fine and empty. So he was absolutely sure he was dead and this was heaven. He tilted his head to the side and he was greeted by perhaps the most beautiful man he had ever seen in his life.

The man had short black hair, a tall nose, and a small face, like it was sculpted by the Gods, and it might as well be because he’s in the afterlife. On his neck was a necklace that held a cheap looking black ring on it. 

“Hello,” the man said, with a high, lilting voice, not unlike an angel, “you’re finally awake.”

“W-where am I?” Taeyong asked, his eyes adjusting to the light.   

“A deserted island.”

“Am I… dead?”

The man giggled, melodiously, “No, silly! You’re very much alive.”

“I…” Taeyong sat up, confused, “what?”

“Oh, where are my manners!” He gave Taeyong a bright, blinding smile that could outshine the sun, “I’m Chittaphon, nice to meet you.” 


	3. iii.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> henlo everyone! thank you for the warm comments and kudos! your feedback means so much to me as a writer. i do hope you are all enjoying the story so far, it's really fun exploring all these characters in this kind of setting, and i hope you are having fun too.

Sunlight. 

That was the first thing Johnny saw when he woke up from his sleep. It was a miracle that he had slept at all, even, since the previous night was a horrible night for all of them. After the huge wave that lifted their ship high above normal water level, the ship crashed back to the surface but not without submerging the bottom half of the ship a few meters deep - thus damaging the quarters. They still had the ale, at least, but it’s nothing compared to bread. 

Youngho was starting to believe that they would not survive that night at all, but for some reason, they had all fallen asleep, because how can one wake up without having fallen asleep, right? Youngho was baffled, and he couldn’t quite understand anything. Perhaps they were in the afterlife, and all of his friends were dead along with him. 

He shook the idea away when he looked behind him and saw that Mark started writhing again, in a fetus position, clutching his wounded arm and bringing his knees close so he could grip at his wounded leg. If they were dead, then Mark should still not have that pain searing in his body. Taeil, the ships doctor, quickly popped the cork off a vial of medicine, and fed it into Mark so that the pain would subside a little. Mark winced at the taste, but he started to calm down. 

So Taeil and Mark were fine, but what of Joohyun, Jaemin and Jeno? 

“Taeil,” Youngho spoke, to get the attention of his friend.

“Captain?” His head shot up, alert.

Youngho looked around first, to get a feel of his surroundings. He observed the sky - it was a bright shade of unsettling blue. The kind of blue that did not belong there. There was no cloud in sight as well. 

“Have we been thrown off the Pass?” He finally asked. 

“I… that I do not know,” Taeil shook his head in defeat before checking Mark’s temperature with the back of his hand.

“I’ll look around, take care of Mark for me.” 

There was another thing he found strange, as he began the search for the rest of his crew: the entire ship was entirely dry. There were no signs of dampness on the flooring, nor on their clothes nor their hair. Everything was dry, it was as if they had only begun their journey.

But, given the wounds’ reaction, they were still quite close to the periphery of Scylla’s Pass, or they could be entirely out of it as well, Johnny had no idea. He ran down to the crew’s quarters, where he assumes everyone else was.

He found Joohyun in the quarters, just stirring from sleep when he opened the heavy wooden door that secured the foom. She was holding her head, her face wincing. 

“What happened, Youngho? Where are we?” She managed to groan out, her eyes still narrow from the pounding pain in her head.

“I don’t know. It’s all strange…” Youngho looked around, wondering if the younger ones were in their quarters as well. “Where are Jaemin, Jeno and Hyuck?”

Joohyun shook her head. “Maybe check your quarters, or the storage, you know how those three love to hide there.” 

“Thank you, sister.” 

Joohyun gave him a disgruntled nod and tell him to go on and look for the other crew members. When he went out of the quarters, he encountered Donghyuck and Taeil carrying an unconscious Mark towards the door. Donghyuck had his arms around Mark’s shoulders, while Taeil was in charge of the boy’s legs. 

“Hey, Cap,” Donghyuck said, before nudging his chin to the side, “you might wanna check up on Jeno and Jaemin in the storage room. They found someone in there.” 

Youngho nodded and rushed down to the storage room, which  _ should _ be wet, since all their supplies were washed out in the storm last night. Yet, Youngho found no sign of damage from water, not even the wooden floor creaked, not even a patch of wetness was there. Was everything from last night all just a dream, after all? 

He opened the door to the storage room and found Jaemin and Jeno standing over what looked like a body. Whether it was dead or alive, Youngho had to find out for himself. 

“Found ‘im right here, sir,” Jaemin said, “he’s still breathin’.”

“His body was all tangled up in seaweed when we found ‘im,” added Jeno, raising a line of dried seaweed for proof. “Was probably drownin’ and then slipped inside the storage somehow…” 

Youngho scurried over to the two boys. “Are you both alright?”

“Yeah!” They piped in at the same time, with those toothy grins he had grown familiar with.

“Good,” Youngho lifted the side of his lip to give them a small smile. “Go over to Mark for me, he’s going through a tough time again,” he said, before turning his attention to the unconscious man in front of him. 

The captain crouched down, and looked at the man before him. His arm was perched up on his knee as he observed the man, his hand on his chin. He had a face that was unfamiliar to him. He did not look like a naval officer - that could be easily identified, since Youngho was much familiar with those faces. He had his fair share of encounters with naval officers, most of them wanted his head for a heavy bounty, and this man definitely did not look like anyone Youngho had ever encountered. He kept a high guard up, when he shook the man to wake him.

The man did not wake, but he was still breathing, meaning there was still a sliver of life in him.

Youngho wondered if he would just toss this man into the waters, but then he knew that that would only drown him in guilt. He stretched his leg to the side, and kicked the man’s leg. 

No response.

Youngho blinked, and the more that he blinked the more attractive this man seemed, apart from his pale lips and the fact that he was almost dead at this point. His hair was short, a dark shade of grey, but it did not make him look old. Instead, it made him look otherworldly. His nose was tall, well-sculpted. He wore a simple black ring on his neck, which was possibly the only vaguely valuable ring on him right now. He wondered if there was still any water in the man’s lungs. If there were, he should be dead by now. So, there would be no logical reason for this man to still be asleep… unless…

“Wake up,” Youngho spat, and drew his sword against the man’s (beautiful) throat. “You’ve fooled us for long enough, now wake up.” 

The unnamed man let out a small hum, after finally being acknowledged. He managed to sneak a small, sneaky smirk. Youngho pointed the sword only an inch away from the skin on his throat.   

“Are you mocking me, sailor?” Youngho asked, threat evident in his voice.

Without even the smallest hint of fright, the sailor held his arms up in defeat. Youngho withdrew his sword and slid it back to its sheath. The man propped himself up by the elbow, and the smile on his lips only grew wider. He raked his hair, only to find out it was all in tangles. 

“I would ask where I am, but one tends not to care when such a handsome man is standing before them,” said the man, now leaning on his arms as they were stretched behind them. He sat back, and scanned Youngho from head to toe.

Youngho, for some reason, found his face heating up. It did not help that his man’s cream shirt was unlaced, thus exposing his smooth chest. He definitely did not look like a sailor, but he also did not look like someone who had drowned at all. 

“How did you get into the ship?” Youngho asked before tossed his head to the side to move the lock of hair that was blocking his good eye.    

“Did you not hear your little guppies earlier?” He raised an eyebrow, the smile on his face still intact. “I nearly drowned, and found my way here,” said the man, so casually as if it was not a terrible thing that he had almost died in the water.

“And why did you pretend to be unconscious all this time?” 

At that, the man grinned and pulled his knees together. “I was waiting for the captain to come and save me. I was hoping he would be a handsome man, well I got my wish when he kicked my leg!” 

Youngho rolled his eyes, wondering why he was wasting time talking to this man when he should be up with this crew and his navigator to locate where the hell they were in the world. This couldn’t be Scylla’s Pass, it was much too sunny and bright.

“Well, I would be entirely grateful if you didn’t come by at all,” Youngho told him, not withholding any truths, “perhaps you should take the spare boat and go back to where you came from.”

Youngho spun on his boot heel and began walking towards the stairs, not even attempting to look behind the handsome man in the white unlaced shirt. The man scurried to get on his feet, then he stumbled a little as he tried to keep his balance before hopping over to catch up with the cold captain. 

“I don’t… know how to do that, sir.” The man told him, sheepishly. 

“...You don’t know how to handle two oars?” Youngho tilted his head to the side, raising a questioning eyebrow at the man.

He shook his head. 

Youngho sighed. He always had a weak spot for the helpless. He glanced at the man’s arms. Perhaps this man was a royal from somewhere, which could explain why his arms were so thin and frail, but even royals are trained in sword fights. Perhaps he could have been a travelling dancer and fell off his voyage ship, but then that would be the first thing he would say instead of a compliment to the captain. 

The captain nudged his head, motioning the man to follow him.

“My name is Youngheum, by the way,” the man said cheerfully. 

Youngheum… now that was a name Youngho had never heard of before. 

***

Taeyong couldn’t believe it. He  _ must  _ be dead, there was no other way for him to be alive after that maelstrom. Perhaps this was what was actually happening underwater - this was the society that the merfolk have. Perhaps they also had sunlight and sand and… water? Why would there be water underwater? Taeyong shook his stupid thoughts away. He looked at himself, at his hands. His fingertips were pruning, which was normal since he had just been in the water. His breeches were intact - sandy, yes, but intact. His dagger was still strapped onto his hips, miraculously, so he had something to use for food. What of his hair? He scampered into the water by the shore to look at his reflection, and he was disheveled, yes, but still red. 

Right. He just remembered. There would never be a place for him in paradise. 

“Hey.” A hand slapped Taeyong on the shoulder and that made him jump. 

It was Chittaphon, with that same bright smile on his face as if there was nothing that ever bothered him in the world. Taeyong was still disoriented, but then it was never the pirate’s duty to be polite, so it was easy for him to forget his manners. 

“You haven’t said a word since I told you my name,” Chittaphon pouted.

Taeyong was kneeling on the sand, too bothered by other things to think about conventions. He wondered which one of his names he should give this man. Was this truly an abandoned island? If so, then it would be fine to just give him “Taeyong”. 

“Taeyong,” he told Chittaphon.

There was a few seconds of silence between them, like someone was waiting for someone to do something in that small frame of time. Then, Chittaphon suddenly remembered something and held his hand out for Taeyong to shake. Ah, so that was what was missing. Taeyong shook the man’s hand. Perhaps now they could even be called acquaintances. 

Then, Taeyong sprung into life when he remembered the rest of his crew.

“Chittaphon!” He jumped up, and whipped his head around, searching for a large ship, “did you see a large ship crash here somewhere?”

“Me?” Chittaphon pointed to himself, and shook his head. 

“Yes, a huge ship made out of red wood.” Taeyong made the shape of a huge ship with his arms, to further emphasize the image he was trying to create.

Chittaphon shook his head. “When I woke up, only you were washed up on the shore. You were so deep asleep I just waited for you to wake up.” 

“But…” His head was full of questions. Where were his crewmates, then? Were they even alive? Where  _ was _ he? 

Chittaphon scrunched up Taeyong’s hair and then raised him up by the hand. Taeyong’s eyes widened at the contact. No one outside of his crewmates ever touched him like that before.

“You look baffled,” Chittaphon blinked, before pulling Taeyong further by the sleeve with that same smile, “come on. You must be extremely hungry after eating absolutely nothing.” 

_ Eat. _

Taeyong had almost forgotten about his hunger. The held his fingers on his throat, but so far the hunger was not in effect yet. He could go for a month, at most, without being fed, but his crewmates knew how terrible he could become if he goes any further than that. He would into nigh insanity, trying to satiate that hunger. The blood of animals sufficed, but they did not compare to those of humans. Such was Taeyong’s curse.

He followed Chittaphon into the forest adjacent to the beach, quickly slicing off some leaves and branched that went in his path with the blade that he had brought with him. The bright light that enveloped the beach was quickly shrouded in the shade of the canopy of leaves. The trees were tall, foreboding. Taeyong could barely see anything. 

“Chittaphon?” He called. He hated to admit it, but he did not want to get lost in this forest just yet.

He heard a rustle of leaves and hoped that it was Chittaphon and not some stray creature that was out for his flesh. He saw a white shirt, which he could only conclude was the man he was looking for. Chittaphon came running, and when he was in front of Taeyong he held his hand out to the man.

“Were you lost?” asked the stranger, with a teasing smile. 

“No.” Taeyong looked to the side, a bit ashamed. 

It was lucky that the forest was dark, Chittaphon would at least not be able to see the blush forming in his ears. He could see that the dark-haired man was still smiling, and then swung his arm over to let Taeyong follow him. He did not take the man’s hand, but instead stepped closer to him whenever they walked, so he would not lose him.  

And he concluded that he might have to kill himself before he would lay a finger on his beautiful, kind hearted yet strange man.  

**

Ten had never tried to do this kind of magic before. Kun helped him perfect the magic, since he was more well-versed in the mystical arts than he was. Ten knew that he had the ability to split himself into multiple beings at will, but it was a gift he never wanted to use until then. What better way to play with humans than to play with them at once?

He split himself into two beings: Youngheum, who would be infiltrating Titan’s ship, then Chittaphon, the shipwrecked boy who happened to be in the same island as Scarlet when he was thrown off the boat. 

Everything was going according to plan - he would lead the men to their unruly deaths and thus end the reign of Scarlet and Titan. He knew that he needed to hone much of the power from the ring to do so, and that any contact with sea water could lead him to revealing his true nature as a merfolk. A splash on the arm could reveal his scales, but he can quickly revert them with his magic if needed. A full immersion into the water, however, could make all the duplications disappear entirely, and only the merman would remain. 

“Are you sure this is a good idea, Ten?” asked Kun, whose chin was settled between his hands as he watched Ten marvel at his Chittaphon visage on the water.

They were settled by some large rocks at the back the deserted island, so no one could see them. Ten was standing on a rock, admiring the human versions of himself he had concocted. Truly, the merfolk were not ugly at all. If he could say so himself, Ten looked beautiful, even without the shimmering black tail he had always loved.

“What better way to mislead these boys than with my charms, right?” said Ten, grinning at himself at his reflection in the ocean.

Kun rolled his eyes at that. “I’m serious, Ten. If you abuse the power of the ring, this could all backfire.” 

“Please. My father has done worse things with the ring than duplicate himself, Kun. What’s wrong with a little fun?” 

Ten snapped his fingers and a warm glow enveloped his body from head to toe. Kun had to cover his eyes so he wouldn’t be blinded by the light. Then, the glow faded away to reveal a different Ten - one with short grey hair that was straightly cut across his forehead. He looked older, more mature with that appearance. 

“What are you gonna name this one?” Kun looked at him from head to toe.

“Youngheum,” Ten said, ruffling his hair, “Youngheum suits him.” 

“And what are you planning to do with these? Aside from lead the pirate captains to their death?  _ Seduce them? _ ” At the last question, Kun stifled a giggle.

Ten made a disgusted expression, twisting his face into an unamused frown. “Me? Sleep with a human? Brother, how low do you think of me, truly?” 

Kun grinned. “Well, you are my brother, and my prince, but I would not put it past you to do so.” 

With that, Ten narrowed his eyes and dove into the water. Immediately, he was back to his merfolk form of long, silky black hair, webbed hands and glistening tail. He seized Kun by the neck and pretended to strangle him, giggling. Kun tried to fight back by removing Ten’s arm from his shoulders but it was no use. Instead he attacked Ten’s tickle area and shoved his hand into Ten’s waist, which made Ten recoil. 

The merprince pouted, holding his side. 

“I would never sleep with a human,” Ten said as he crossed his arms.

“Perhaps you shouldn’t jump to conclusions so quickly, brother.”  

Kun gave Ten a pat on the back before they began to swim back to their castle. Ten had put all the players of his game into a deep sleep, only to wake up when the plan was ready to be set into motion. Titan’s ship was still above water, and when they would come to their senses they would find a drowned man in the ship with them. For Scarlet’s team, however, they were taken by the maelstrom, and brought to the castle’s dungeon. 

Yukhei, the ever so diligent Captain of the Guard was dashing towards them in full speed, his merman tail in waves behind him, so he could get to his masters faster. Yukhei gave a bow first, then asked for permission to speak. If Yukhei had to do things like these, then it was of royal interest, and not simply the friendly banter he would have with the two despite their social classes. 

“Your Highness,” Yukhei spoke, gripping at the trident in his hands, bare chest heaving. “The prisoners have woken up.”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, ten's korean name is youngheum. i'm glad the guy has so many names - i can use it to my creative advantage for this fic! again, comments are love and thank you for reading <3


	4. iv.

Ten had never attempted to step on land before, so everything he was showing to Scarlet at the time, or Taeyong, as he introduced himself, was fake. The fact that he was in a deserted island was true enough - he had made sure that the island he settled into had a population of exactly zero. His plan had to be foolproof, after all. There were animals in the forest within the island, which would be enough sustenance for the both them. He knew what animals tasted like, that was what the merfolk ate - fish, as well as seaweed. Land animals, however, were different, but he would have to live with that, to keep up his act.

He and Taeyong were walking aimlessly inside the forest looking for things to eat. There would be the occasional rustle in the leaves, which would usually turn out to be just a bird or a bug, either of the two. Taeyong did not want any birds or bugs, so they had to forego that thought.

Soon, both their stomachs started to grumble. 

Taeyong, on the other hand, worried now about his normal hunger, the craving for normal food. While he was a pirate, he was trained in only having small food like bread and watery gruel for survival. Meat was a lucky thing to come by, and occasionally, if they were lucky, he and his crewmates would eat a lamb or a goat in front of the bonfire. Doyoung was the assigned cook in the ship, but Taeyong, for special events, was always the one who cooked for them. 

He was no stranger to hunting, as well. Jaehyun and Taeyong would seldom dock their ship by a nearby island to hunt for food to quench his Hunger. Of course, they were better prepared, with bows and arrows and slingshots, instead of just a sword. In this case, he and Chittaphon had to be smart. Sadly, he did not know what Chittaphon was capable of, other than an enchanting smile.

From Taeyong’s perspective, Chittaphon was capable of very little. He doesn’t even think the man could walk properly. He looked like he was limping, or at least had no idea how to use his legs, like it was the first time he was given them and now he was only trying them out. Perhaps Chittaphon had been part of the island for so long that he didn’t know how to walk anymore? Would that make any sense?

“Chittaphon,” Taeyong spoke after what seemed like hours of aimless walking. “Where are you taking us?”

Ten looked at him, then smiled. While it was true that he was no expert at land-hunting, Ten could hold a fort for himself when it came to hunting fish. His eyes were sharp and he could easily catch the smallest fish with one swoop of his net. Only this time he didn’t have a net, so they would only be hunting with their hands. 

“There’s a lake nearby where we can hunt for fish,” Ten said, pointing to the back with his thumb, “I hope you like fish?”

Taeyong was indifferent about fish, but since he thought Chittaphon knew more than he did about this place, he only nodded. Plus, he had no right to be picky, after all this was an unfamiliar place. 

“Lead the way then,” Taeyong replied, nudging his head forward.

The black hair man grinned and pulled Taeyong further into the forest by the arm. In truth, Ten had only scanned the island once. It was a small island, there were some predatory animals present but none too deadly that the slash of a sword could not kill. 

They soon arrived at the clearing at the forest, which housed a lovely lake of clear water. Everything surrounding the lake was a fresh shade of green, adorned with small flowers. There were small creatures that settled close by, as well as birds that flew ahead. Ten invited Taeyong into the water and dove into the lake, without even taking off his clothes. Luckily, Ten did not turn into a mermaid, since the water was fresh. He was met with fish of many different shapes and sized underwater. Some of them recognized him, and swam away in fear. Ten resurfaced just so he can could Taeyong over to fish with him. 

“You do know how to swim, don’t you?” asked Ten, trying to stay afloat.

“...Somehow,” said Taeyong, with his right arm across his stomach, rubbing into his elbow.

The lake was deep, around eight feet at most, so if they were not careful, they could quickly drown. Ten will never allow that to happen of course - he could not lose his valuable plaything so soon. The great Scarlet, who was surprisingly tame and timid compared to what he had imagined him to be, should be subdued. For sure, all that Taeyong was showing him at the moment was simply for show. The true Scarlet hid there, somewhere, with his thirst for blood. 

Ten curved back into the water, pretending that he was a mermaid again. He did not want to wait for Taeyong to dive in himself, after all. It was a little more difficult, with two legs instead of one tail, but he managed to stay afloat. He also had to hold his breath now, since most of his organs were designed to be like a human’s. He reached out and tried to catch the first fish that he saw, when suddenly he felt something wrap around his leg. He thought it was just some seaweed that brushed against his leg and ignored it. 

He stretched out again to get another fish when suddenly the brush felt more like a tug. He felt something wrap around his calf and yanked him downwards, deeper into the lake.  _ Enchanted seaweed,  _ Ten thought. He waved his arms upward, hoping Taeyong could see him through the ripples he formed. He did not want to die. Not just yet. He definitely did not think that the island was enchanted at all, but now he knew. 

Taeyong was calculating how deep the water was. His body was still somewhat averse to water after being sucked into a vortex of it, but if that was the best way to find food in this situation, then so be it. He thought that Ten would only be in the water for a few seconds, then he would resurface with that shiny smile holding fish by the hands. He started getting worried when it had been an entire thirty seconds and Ten did not come up yet.

“Chittaphon?” asked Taeyong, worried. 

He saw fast ripples in the water: a sign of struggle. Ten was drowning. Without giving any thought to the matter anymore, he quickly dove into the water, tying the dagger into his hips for safety purposes. 

Ten was losing his breath, and quick. The man was flailing, desperate for help. Taeyong opened his eyes as soon as he was in the water and saw something pulling Ten further down. He took his blade, and tried to cut into the plant with one slash, but the seaweed was durable. If he tried touching it, then he might get pulled in as well. Taeyong had to think fast.

Instead of slashing the seaweed, he stabbed into it with his dagger and it let out a screech. It quickly regressed and released Ten from its tight grip. Ten’s eyes shot open and immediately he threw his arms around Taeyong, frightened. He took Ten by the waist and swam back up to the surface. Taeyong lifted Ten up to the grassy ground, using his legs to carry them both up before the seaweed would target them both again.

Ten let go of Taeyong once they were back on the ground, coughing out the water he had accidentally ingested. Human bodies were strange, and did not function the way merfolk bodies did. He had never thought he would feel displeasure from ingesting water, when that was all his fins did when he was still a merman. With this human body, he felt like his lungs were being filled to the brim that he couldn’t hold it anymore. He panicked and thought he couldn’t make it before Taeyong came.

Taeyong. No,  _ Scarlet. _ A name he should never forget. Yes, Taeyong was Taeyong now, but he should never forget that he was Scarlet, first and foremost. The bloodthirsty murderer of hundreds. But that fact was hard to remember when Taeyong,  _ this _ Taeyong, right now, went out of his way to save him from the seaweed. 

“Are you alright?” asked Taeyong, his breathing heavy from the extensive underwater legwork.

Ten nodded, then shook his head, then nodded, then did the opposite again. He was not sure if he was alright - he had never been to this part of the forest before, and he did not actually expect that this island was an enchanted one. Or at least the lake in it. Who knows what kind of other enchanted beings could be here. 

Then, Taeyong patted him on the shoulder, a faint smile on his face. He was still entirely wet from head to toe after being submerged in the water for so long. Taeyong knew that Ten was shaken from what had happened underwater, so making him dive back there would not be a smart decision. 

“I’ll take care of the fish from here,” Taeyong told him, the faint turning into a grin. “You keep watch for any other animals we could eat in the vicinity.” 

Before Taeyong dove back into the water, Ten told him to wait. He did.   

He stood up and walked to a tall tree that was wrapped around in vines. If Taeyong was going there, he wasn’t going to go back in there helplessly. He put his hand on the spoke to the tree silently, asking if they could use its vines so his companion could get food for them safely. He could not risk another attack, after all, so he had to ask permission. The tree did not answer back, not even with a rumble or any sort of vibration, so they were safe. Ten unrolled a good length of vine and handed it over to Taeyong.

“Tie this around your waist, so I’ll know if you’re in trouble,” Ten said, his tone serious.

Why did he genuinely started caring about Taeyong being alive?

“I can use my dagger to --”

“No. Use this.” Ten was firm, almost shoving the vines onto Taeyong’s torso.

The man thinned his lips but agreed to it. He was not used to being ordered around at all, since he was the captain of the ship, especially by a stranger, but this was refreshing. He had no choice to do it as well, since Ten was persistent. Taeyong was one step away from the water when Ten tapped him on the shoulder. He tilted his head to the side, in attention.   

“Taeyong,” Ten spoke slowly, “thank you.” 

The redhead caught a glimpse of a different layer in Chittaphon that he had never seen before. Something beyond the smiler he thought the man to be. There was hesitation in his eyes, a different kind of shyness.

“I don’t want to be left alone here, you know,” Taeyong said, with a two finger salute, before diving into the water, holding onto the tree vine.

He watched Taeyong dive into the water, and he sat by the ground, hugging his knees. He held his end of the vine tight as he wrapped it around his palm to be secure. Not even fifteen seconds had passed by, and Taeyong had already thrown two fish towards him. For some reason, Taeyong found little to no struggle underwater, which was a relief. 

Ten smiled. At least they had something for dinner. Ten tugged on the vine when he found that Taeyong had gathered enough fish for the both of them. He helped pull the man up and Taeyong’s fingers quickly dug into the loamy ground, dragging himself upward while coughing out water.

“H-how much did I get?” Taeyong asked, in between short gasps.

Ten counted the fish with his finger. “Six.” 

“Are those enough for the entire day?” 

“More than enough,” Ten smiled. 

Taeyong lied down on the grass, spread out and exhausted. The black haired boy climbed up to the redhead’s side. This was a man that he hated, that he knew as brutish. Instead, he never knew that Taeyong was kind to everyone, and not only to his crew members, but even to strangers that he had never met. 

It was a strange sensation, being proven wrong for a moment.

He put his head on close to where Taeyong’s was, staring at him. Then, he gave a man a smile.

“You did well,” Ten told him. 

Taeyong nodded, before getting up to start a fire.  

***

“Captain!” yelled Jaemin at the top of his lungs. 

Youngho came running from his quarters to the bow of the ship, where he heard Jaemin’s voice.

“What is it, Jaemin?” asked the captain, panting.

“Youngheum, he’s --” Jaemin pointed at the helm of the ship, which looked like it was being toyed with by the newcomer in the boat.

Just when Youngho thought they were running the right course, Youngheum, all of a sudden, spun the entire wheel around with a single throw of his hand. 

“YOUNGHEUM!” The captain rushed over to the young man with grey hair as the ship quickly started turning to the other side. “Where is Taeil? Why are you the one manning the wheel?”

Youngheum shrugged with a pout on his lips, feigning innocence, with his hands behind him like a scolded child. Jeno had let him borrow some basic clothes, and that was when he realized how small Youngheum was. Jeno’s clothes were slightly large for him, his sleeves reached past Youngheum’s hands so they made paws. It was… cute, Youngho had to admit.

“I asked Taeil that I wanted to try manning the wheel,” Youngheum grinned.

“And he just let you?” asked Youngho.

The younger nodded. Youngho thought that it was probably because Taeil needed to take care of Mark, then he sighed, deeply. Just when he thought they were going the right way back to Scylla’s Pass, since this sunny area definitely did not look like the Pass at all. 

“I’ll take it from here,” said Youngho, his tall figure looming over the younger man. 

His arms shadowed over the wheel first before he took a handle with one hand, then with both. He gripped the handles tight, before taking a look at his compass so he would know where north was. Youngheum had strayed them off the path by only a little, so all the captain had to do was turn the ship right slightly. 

Youngho titled his head to the side to catch a glimpse of Youngheum as he commanded, “Go into the quarters and take care of Mark in Taeil’s stead.”

“Aye, Captain.” Youngheum piped up, with a salute. 

He had picked up that phrase when he saw Jaemin and Jeno doing it. Youngheum, nay, Ten, since he was not accustomed to being human, was actually quite surprised to know that there was so much machination that would made a ship move. There were sails, and rigging. Rigging, or the ropes, as Jeno and Jaemin would like to call them, were complicated. The ropes controlled the sails, which made the ship go fast and slow. Ten was actually quite delighted to know about all these things. 

He had asked Taeil to let him behind the wheel for a moment, since he wanted to know how to use it. Taeil had taught him which way to maneuver the wheel so it would go the direction you wish it to go, but that was all he was taught. The next thing he knew, Taeil rushed back into the quarters because Mark was having his episodes again.

Ten had heard of that disease before. This was what would happen if a rabid siren’s venom would enter the bloodstream of a human being. 

Sirens were creatures respected but feared in the world of the merfolk. They were not part of the merfolk, but they were members of it as well. To kill one of their kind was an unforgivable thing to do, but Youngho did so. Usually, when the siren’s venom would enter the human’s system, the human would eventually turn into a rabid siren themselves. However, Mark’s strength of will seemed to be enough to refuse turning into one, thus his entire body was rejecting the poison. 

It caused the young boy immense pain, however, if the venom would sense a mermaid nearby - whether it be a siren or normal merfolk. This was why Ten had to be careful not to do anything magical that will set off the venom in Mark’s veins, lest he reveal himself quickly to be a merman, and be killed by the Siren Slayer.

His head peeped into the quarters as the wooden door make a squeaking sound that indicated someone was present. Mark was in bed, being fed some cold gruel by his sister, while Taeil was fixing the boy’s bandages.

“Taeil,” said Ten, entering the premises, “the captain wants you on the wheel.”  

Taeil glanced at Mark, then Joohyun, then Ten. He fixed Mark’s bandages first, before dashing past Ten to the upper deck where Youngho was waiting. Ten was stuck, therefore, with Mark, and the sister with the icy stare. 

“I don’t trust you,” said Joohyun, slicing the silence with a knife as she fed Mark another spoonful of gruel.

Ten was taken aback by her bluntness, his eyes blinking multiple times in a second. Mark was staring him down, but not as coldly as Joohyun. His eyes were big, questioning. From his lying position, he sat up. 

“Sis,” Mark stopped Joohyun from feeding him any more of the gruel with his hand. “You can go help Youngho navigate, I’ll take it from here.”  

Joohyun set the spoon and the bowl down. She sighed, and combed Mark’s hair before kissing him on the forehead. 

“Take care, Mark,” she told him, before standing up. Then, she walked over to Youngheum, and stabbed her fingertip against his chest. “Don’t you try anything strange.” 

She huffed off, and Ten couldn’t even respond to what she had said. He only nodded then proceeded over to Mark’s bedside. The boy was sitting up on the bed, big eyes still eyeing him carefully. 

Ten sat on the bed adjacent to Mark. “So what’s with that?” he asked, pointing at Mark’s bandages.

“They’re for the wounds,” said Mark, rubbing his hand over the thin cloth. 

“But you’re not bleeding,” replied Ten.

The younger shook his head, chuckling. “No, I’m not, but keeping them wrapped in bandages makes me feel a little bit more secure.”

Ten leaned in, curious. “Secure?”

Mark nodded, then shook his head. “Why should you care?” he asked, but not coldly. 

With that, Ten shrugged. There really was no reason for him to care about his enemy’s little brother, but the disease sparked his interest.

“I want to look at your wounds,” Ten told him, honestly. 

“Why?”

Ten’s eyes shot up. “Because I might be able to help you.” 

“After Taeil so kindly wrapped the bandages up for me?” Mark grinned as he said this, but began unravelling the bandages. “I don’t even know why I’m doing this for you.”

The grey-haired boy leaned forward so he could get a closer look at Mark’s wounds. They were mostly scars at this point, but instead of them fading into his skin, they looked more like muted scorch marks with a green scale pattern - typical of merfolk infections. 

When Ten took a little bit more time than usual in looking, Mark covered himself up shyly. Ten took a step back, and held his chin with his hand, deep in thought. If the wounds were still green, then they should still be able to heal. 

“I told you to look after Mark, not  _ at _ him.” 

Ten spun around, his heart lurching in his chest from the sudden voice which came without a warning, not even the sound of a boot on the hard wood. It was the captain, with his arms crossed against his chest and his head leaning against the doorframe of the quarters.

“I was, uh,” Ten was stumbling on his words, trying to recover from the shock, “observing his wounds.”  

“Isn’t that Taeil’s job? Or Joohyun’s? Why do you care about Mark’s wounds?” asked Youngho, an impatient finger tapping on his muscular sleeved arm.

_ Because they interest me,  _ is what went through Ten’s mind, but of course he can’t tell the captain that. That would only make him more suspicious. Instead, Ten stared Youngho down, his expression firm. What’s the worst that could happen? 

“I need to tell you something,” Ten started, “but… not here.”


	5. v.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello, i'm back again with another chapter! i hope you all are enjoying the ride so far. from this chapter onward, when dealing with taeyong or youngho, ten's clones will be referred to by their respective names instead of "ten" to reduce confusion. 
> 
> thank you! kudos and comments are love and they keep me going aaa <3

Jungwoo never believed in the existence of merfolk, until he saw one standing, or well, swimming  right before him. He was a handsome merman, blond, with big lips and huge eyes to match, holding what looked like a giant fork, but pointier. The human thought he was hallucinating - that this was all a result of being dead. After all, how can one see a mermaid underwater and still be able to breathe?

He was clearly hallucinating and this was all an apparition, clearly.

Beside the handsome blond merman was a more frightening one, with a crown, and long, silky black hair. The both of them had webbed hands and scales to their arms, which made Jungwoo’s skin crawl. He figured that he was inside a cell of sorts, judging by the bars that would prevent him from going out. Jungwoo wondered briefly why he would be in a prison cell if he were dead and hallucinating.

“Is this Davy Jones’s locker?” Jungwoo whispered, grasping at one of the bars, which was covered in moss.

The blonde merman shook his head and spoke, in the deepest voice Jungwoo did not expect would come from him, “This is the Scyllan Kingdom.”

He paused, then blinked. “So I’m not dead?”

Swimming towards Jungwoo, the frightening one in the crown spoke, “Unfortunately.”  

Lost, Jungwoo looked back and forth between the blond merman, and the crowned merman. Surely, the one in the crown must have been someone important, judging from his appearance - he looked much more regal than the blond one. The other one was a bit more rough, less refined. (Personally, Jungwoo preferred the blond, whatever his name was.)  

“Scyllan Kingdom, huh…” Jungwoo looked up, but all he could see were stones and barnacles in his little prison cell. He stared beyond the two mermaids, but all he could see was a vast ocean of blue. “And I’m guessing you are royalty, Your Highness?” He gestured to the black-haired merman, feigning a curtsey. 

“Well, well. A pirate with manners,” said Ten, pleased. 

The blond grinned, almost proudly. “And with a brain, too! Only you and that strict-looking one were able to figure out who this man, our prince, was.”

“Strict looking one?” Jungwoo asked with a raised eyebrow.

“The one who looked like what you humans call a rabbit,” Ten drawled out, his scaled hands crossed over his chest. “Yukhei personally saw to it that I check up on all of you one by one.”

So the blond’s name was Yukhei, Jungwoo noted mentally. Yukhei gave him a wink, almost flirtatiously. Jungwoo hid a blush.

“How are we here?” Jungwoo asked, tapping a finger on the moss-covered bar. 

Ten flowed closer, his black scales glistening under the light. From a distance, Jungwoo could see another merman, this time with light brown hair swimming their way. His tail was shiny, like Ten’s, but teal, and he did not wear a crown. 

“Kun!” Yukhei exclaimed loudly, which made Ten plug his ears for a moment. 

“Sorry, I’m late. I had to run a few errands with the younger ones,” said Kun as he rubbed his head.

“My brother,” Ten motioned to Kun with his palm. “He will answer all of your magic-related questions. None of us were able to properly answer your bunny friend when he asked us how this worked.” 

Kun thinned his lips into a line. He was hesitant to answer and talk to a human, but he sighed and told him, “I placed each of you in special prison cells. These are encased in magic, which will allow you to breathe underwater, but only within these bars. Attempt to step outside, and you will find yourself dead after just a few seconds.” 

“Why didn’t you just kill us?” asked Jungwoo, his eyes narrowing towards Ten. “We have heard of your hatred towards humans, or is this another way to torture us?”

Ten chuckled darkly. “You have a good head on your shoulders,” he paused, before pressing his nose against the bar. “I want you to see me kill your little captain with my own two hands.”

But Jungwoo was not taken aback, nor was he shaken. Instead, he met Ten’s face with his, eyes burning with intensity. “Not before he kills you first.” 

“Watch your tongue!” Kun scolded, and the other two drew back, “before we break your legs in half.”

Jungwoo turned to Kun, his eyes wide. His leg was already a little sore, from what had happened with Jisung earlier. 

“You scared him, Kun,” Yukhei told the other merman with a rather strong pat on the back.

“He disrespected the prince!” 

Ten stopped Kun with a hand, before turning to Jungwoo again. “Tell me your name, pirate.” 

“...Jungwoo,” the human whispered. 

Prince Ten jerked out a smirk from his lips, before his black eyes darkened like the deepest depths of the sea. “You see, Jungwoo, your captain cannot kill me. He can never kill me for I have this,” he pointed to the ring on his chest - the ring of Immortality. “Even if I wanted to  _ die  _ there is no way for me to. He wants this, yes? This confounded ring? He can pry it off me for all I care! Rip it off my skin! But he cannot. For I am bound to it, and it is bound to me, and if I die, the ring dies with me.”

With that, Jungwoo’s face fell. Kun snapped his fingers, and the human boy felt himself sinking into a deep, deep slumber.

***

Youngho had followed Youngheum all the way to the captain’s quarters, where the man told him they should talk. The grey haired boy specifically requested that they were to converse in private, where no one could hear them. Youngho could only hope that the conversation was worthwhile. Joohyun had seen them walking together and her eyes turned into ice - it frightened Youngho to see how much his sister did not trust the newcomer at all.

The captain had shut the door behind them and secured it closed with a wooden plank. Youngheum was fiddling with his fingers, probably from the hesitation, and from being stuck in a quiet room with the captain of the ship.

“Do you have a map, sir?” asked Youngheum, suddenly polite.

Youngho smirked. “What’s with the honorific, Youngheum?” 

“I heard other people doing it, I wanted to try it myself,” he grinned, swaying back and forth with his hands in pockets.

With a nod, the taller man walked over to the shelf where the rolls of maps were kept. Some of the maps were with Taeil, but the rest of the maps were with him - maps that contained more detailed drawings, maps of the stars, maps that told them where to most dangerous whirlpools were located. 

Youngho held the rolls around his arm ask he asked, “Which map do you need?”

Youngheum looked up at Youngho, and then tapped his chin to pretend that he was deep in thought. “Do you have one of Scylla’s Pass?” 

There was a drop in the atmosphere, as if the entire room was shrouded in some dark entity. Why would Youngheum ask for a map of Scylla’s Pass, where they had just been able to successfully escape? Youngho scanned the man, from head to toe, looking for signs of madness or even head injuries. Youngheumwas a small man, but can a small man be capable of all that courage?

“...What do you need it for?” 

Youngheum walked closer, so he could pat at the top of the maps one by one with his slender fingertips. It made Youngho wonder if he was a painter before he ended up inside his ship, or perhaps he was a dancer. Youngheum had the prettiest fingers, despite the fact that the underside of his nails were riddled in dirt. The smaller man slipped a finger inside the center of one of the maps, flicking his half-lidded dark eyes towards Youngho. The captain felt himself gulp, before realizing that Youngheum was just going to take the map into his hands. 

“This one, sir,” said Youngheum, feigning innocence, as if he did not just attempt to seduce the captain with his eyes earlier.

In his hands was a piece of parchment, yellowed from misuse and rough to the touch. Typical of a map of Scylla’s Pass, since no one wanted to go there, why would anyone attain maps of it? Why would anyone even care for a map of it, except for one’s personal collections? Titan’s crew was simply lucky to have encountered a piece as valuable and rare as a map of the Pass, since there was nothing else much like it.

“May I use the table, sir?” 

Youngho shrugged, and with the gesture of a hand, let him. 

Youngheum went to the table in the middle of the room and moved aside all the items in the center of it to the side. The candles, the apples were put away so he could made room for the large map of the pass, which he rolled out onto the table. He used the apples and candelarias as paper weights so the map would not roll back. 

“Tell me, Youngheum, why are we looking at a map of the Pass?” Youngho appeared behind the man, before placing a hand on the table. “You have heard of the legends, correct? That no one gets out of there alive --”

“But you have,” interjected the small man, with a face as serious as a soldier. “I overheard Donghyuck, Jaemin and Jeno yelling about it. How you got out of Scylla’s Pass alive.”

Then, Youngheum’s finger was scanning through the surface of the map. His body was now bent towards the table, his pointy nose doing as much searching as his eyes were along the curves and lines drawn onto that piece of important parchment. His finger stopped at a point, emphasizing the discovery with a bump on the table. Youngho’s turned his attention to where Youngheum was pointing.

Youngheum repeated tapped at a round object drawn on the map. “This, here.”

“What is it?” Youngho drew closer and leaned in so he could scrutinize what Ten was pointing at, then he staggered backward when he saw the title of the place. 

The Siren’s Den.

At the east of the entrance to Scylla’s Pass, after three small whirpools, there was a cave. Ten knew about it, since he was the second ruler of those seas, after all. In order to heal Mark of his wounds, he would need the blood of those who inflicted it to him to reverse the curse, and then they would need to concoct an antidote. Of course, Ten had other plans. He could help Mark, and then he could feed Youngho to the hungry sirens. 

“You want to heal Mark?” Youngheum asked, his voice low and mildly threatening. “Then you have to make necessary sacrifices. You need to make an antidote using the siren’s blood.”

Youngho held the edge of the table, deep in thought. He thought that finding Prince Ten’s ring was the first priority in this, but instead having miraculously escaped Scylla’s Pass meant that he had other things in his life that was more important. After all, he was looking for Prince Ten’s ring so he could heal Mark, but if there was another way...

“But exposing Mark to sirens would kill him.”

Youngheum’s lips curved into a smile, this time with a hint of mischief and calculation. “And who said we were bringing the crew with us?” 

***

“What do you mean you’ve never hunted?” asked Taeyong as he slashed across another intruding leaf in front of them.

Ten hopped over a root so he wouldn’t trip before he would reply to the pirate with a shrug and a small noise. “I’ve hunted fish before, but land animals…”

“How long have you been in this island, exactly, Chittaphon?” asked Taeyong, before stopping.

There was another part in the forest with which they had to climb, so Taeyong climbed up first, making sure his center of gravity was balanced, before reaching his hand out so he could help Chittaphon up. Taeyong wondered why the boy, who had supposedly been on this island before he did, look so lost. To Taeyong, he looked almost like he did not even know how to walk, and now he had to help him get up and down certain parts in the forest. 

He wondered how they would survive if any rabid animal were to come into contact with them. At least Taeyong still had his blades, which would be useful. Perhaps he should teach Chittaphon how to throw stones so he could defend himself. He also learned the previous night that Chittaphon did not know how to start a fire with a flint. It’s either Chittaphon is extremely lucky that he hasn’t died yet, or Chittaphon was just as new to the island as he was. 

Chittaphon had to steady himself before he talked again, his hand gripping tight onto Taeyong’s so he wouldn’t lose his footing. Navigating through the forest was a difficult task, and their lack of proper footwear made it all the more challenging. For sure, the soles of his feet would have plenty of cuts by now. Chittaphon hadn’t realized that he was holding onto Taeyong’s hand while walking before the redhead let go of him, flustered.

“I…” Chittaphon paused to think, “not very long. I lost all memory of my life on land when I got here.” 

“...How did you survive?” 

Taeyong stopped speaking as he grabbed hold of a vine as he jumped from a gap that was half the length of his legs, Chittaphon followed suit and Taeyong looked at him with careful eyes, just in case the man would accidentally trip and fall into the chasm himself. When Chittaphon successfully jumped across, he let out another one of those blinding bright smiles that Taeyong loved to look at, but at the same time hated because it made his heart feel things.

“I guess nature was just on my side,” Chittaphon lied through his teeth. 

Right now, Taeyong knew him as Chittaphon, the eccentric shipwrecked sailor who suffered from memory loss. Chittaphon only knew his name, but he did not know much else. Perhaps Ten should have given more thought into this, for example he should have known how to start a fire with a flint so that he did not have to see the shock in Taeyong’s eyes when he admitted that he did not know how to do so.

Maybe he should have learned how to hunt land animals as well, so the pirate wouldn’t look down on him so. There were plenty of things that Chittaphon knew - magic, merfolk history, geography, but perhaps human survival skills were not on that list. 

Chittaphon was just about to ask for a break when suddenly he heard a rustle from the leaves beside him. He crouched down immediately, and Taeyong did the same. The redhead’s eyes were narrowed now, a predator in hunt for prey. He crawled in small movements, making sure that he does not make any noise as he approached the rustling. For all Taeyong knew, this could be a snake, or another kind of dangerous creature. He had his dagger out before he approached the mysterious rustling.

Taeyong turned to him with a finger on his lips before finally opening the leaves to reveal the creature hiding behind it. Chittaphon braced himself for something deadly or disgusting, but instead what jumped out was a harmless white rabbit who little nuzzle was moving up and down in search for food.

“Good, we have dinner,” said Taeyong as he raised the dagger above the rabbit, to kill it.

The black haired man scampered forward like a rushing lizard towards the rabbit before Taeyong’s blade even hit its tall ears. Chittaphon had covered the rabbit with his body, in order to save it. Perhaps he was too taken by how adorable and harmless it looked.

“...What are you doing, Chittaphon?” The redhead asked with a heavy sigh.

“Are you a barbarian! We can’t just kill this adorable animal!” Ten exclaimed, hugging the thing close to him. 

Typical of a man with the bloodthirst, he would always want to kill anyone and anything to satiate his thirst, Chittaphon thought. And here he began to wonder if his opinion of Taeyong changed already, it turned out that the demon that craved blood was still inside him. To think he would kill a rabbit!

“We need food, Chittaphon,” Taeyong deadpanned.

“But to eat a  _ rabbit?” _ Chittaphon asked, completely horrified at the notion.

“Yes. Rabbits are a nice source of meat and they are easy to come by.”

Taeyong said that as if it was the most common notion in the world, to eat a  _ rabbit. _ Well, Ten wasn’t all well-versed in the animal kingdom above water. He saw pictures of rabbits, and liked them. He thought they were cute, and he never thought to eat them at all, because that would be cruel - to eat something so harmless. Chittaphon was still covering the rabbit like a clam would guard a pearl.

The redhead crouched down again, so he could meet Chittaphon’s eyes. He placed a hand on the man’s arm, and sighed when Chittaphon flinched backward. Taeyong had a lot of explaining to do, especially with this rabbit. It was not uncommon for them to eat rabbits, and perhaps his acquaintance with the memory loss did not know that. 

“Tell you what,” Taeyong started, his voice soft and patient, “you can keep this one, if you want. We won’t eat it.” 

Chittaphon’s eyes lit up, slightly. “We won’t?”

“No. But you also have to accept the fact that we cannot live on fish alone, so we will have to eat rabbits and whatever else we can find.” 

The black haired man kneeled into a sitting position, and picked the rabbit up with his hands. The animal was soft, frail, and frightened, kind of like him now. He was reminded of being in the presence of some bloodthirsty killer and not this friendly sailor who could have the softest, roundest eyes in the moonlight. He was reminded that he hated this man, first and foremost, and that people could be deceiving. That’s all that humans did, after all.

Noticing the anxiety in Chittaphon’s eyes, Taeyong rubbed his hand on the man’s back, but the other quickly drew away. He felt as if he had lost the black haired boy’s trust over some normal piece of meat. 

“I’ll be at the lake,” Chittaphon told him, before standing up and running back to the path they had just walked. 

He ran unexpectedly fast for someone who did not know how to use their legs properly, because the moment Taeyong turned to stop him, he was already gone within the darkness of the forest. Taeyong hastened after him, of course, because the most frightening thought that could occur to him at the moment would be Chittaphon being attacked by a deadly beast. He needed to always be by the man’s side, just in case of danger. 

“Chittaphon!” Taeyong called out, but there was no answer.

From the other side of the forest, the red-haired pirate who feared nothing heard a shrill scream that made his skin crawl. Taeyong never believed in gods, but he prayed that that was not Chittaphon. 


	6. vi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow! uh soooo this took a WHILE, i apologize. work started, and i couldn't find the right time to get back into my writing groove. this fic remains one of my faves though, because i love the characters a lot, and i was happy to revisit them. this chapter is shorter, however, because i wanted to focus on one aspect this time. nevertheless, i hope you all enjoy it!

“Chittaphon!” Taeyong yelled into the darkness of the forest, fighting against the sharp leaves that cut through his path. He was an idiot for allowing Chittaphon to go without him. He tried recalling where he heard the voice so that he could follow it, but soon enough Taeyong felt like he was going around aimlessly.

His one companion cannot be dead, he told himself. There was only him and Chittaphon in the island, they cannot lose each other, despite how much they do not get along. Despite the fact that Chittaphon’s naivete had caused them both a good dinner. But right now dinner did not matter. All Taeyong was thinking about was to save the only friend he had at the moment.

He yelled again, straining his throat from how loud he was being.

“Taeyong!”

The redhead’s ears perked up. Chittaphon was still alive somewhere. Taeyong turned on his heel and ran to the source of the voice, nearly tripping over a fallen branch in his haste. The forest was dark, the night sky entirely useless in his pursuit of Chittaphon.

“Chittaphon, where are you?” wailed Taeyong, cupping his mouth with both of his hands to hopefully increase the reach of his words.

Nearby, Taeyong could hear the gruff grunting of some unnamed creature, definitely not a friendly one. It was predatory, and hungry. There was want and bloodlust deep in its belly – Taeyong would know. He’s felt like that before. Now, at least Taeyong had somewhat of a clue about what he was up against. He hid behind the big leaves, only looking from the gap in between.

There was Chittaphon, with the rabbit in his arms. The rabbit was uncaring, mindlessly moving his nozzle up and down without a damn in the world. Meanwhile, the dark haired boy was cowering for his life. He was crouching on the ground, covering himself with nothing but his arms. In front of the boy and his rabbit was perhaps the biggest boar Taeyong had ever seen. Its height was around Chittaphon’s neck, and its shape like a round ball with plenty of hairs sticking out of him. Its mouth was dripping a copious amount of saliva – this boar had not eaten in many, many days. The redhead quietly snuck the dagger out from his belt, poised to kill the beast: if all goes well, he might also get to satiate his hunger with its blood.

Chittaphon emitted a small gasp when he saw Taeyong. He flinched, which was a mistake because it only agitated the boar. The beast growled and Chittaphon staggered back. His eyes flew over to Taeyong, quietly pleading. Taeyong put a finger over his lips, telling the black haired boy to calm down. He had it all under control, after all. As much as Taeyong would hate to admit it, he’s killed far worse. Taeyong signaled to Chittaphon to make him calm down – the boy was quite obviously afraid, perhaps he was never exposed to this before.

Then, with as much precision as he could muster, he threw the dagger straight to the boar’s neck. The sudden impact made the beast stagger backwards and squeal in pain. Then, it quickly threw his head to where the dagger came from, and with its red eyes, it saw Taeyong. There was a glint in Taeyong’s eyes, bracing himself right before the beast came charging at him with a vengeance.    

_ Good _ , Taeyong thought.  _ At least Chittaphon should be able to run away.  _

“Run back to the lake,” he told the boy as he tried to dodge the boar’s sharp husks. He pulled out his sword and rolled forward on the ground just before one of the husks was thrusted towards him. 

“But what about you?” asked Chittaphon, helplessly watching his companion get chased around by a wild boar. 

“I have a weapon, you do not. This boar won’t be a problem.” 

Of course, Chittaphon nearly forgot that he was talking to Captain Scarlet, relentless killer of anything and anyone because of his lust for blood. He wouldn’t be surprised if he found Taeyong on the ground feasting on the raw meat of the animal once it was dead. Still, Chittaphon found himself strangely worrying. 

“Aren’t you going to go?” Taeyong asked, with desperation in his voice. If the boar attacks Chittaphon again, after all, the pirate’s efforts would be for naught.

“...Not until you kill it,” Chittaphon said.   

“Oh for  _ fuck’s  _ sake, Chittaphon,” Taeyong groaned, exasperated. 

Meanwhile, the boar was busy trying to maul Taeyong with his husks. Even with a dagger lodged in his back, the beast could still put up a good fight. The pirate slashed his sword along its face, which only made the beast angrier. It surged towards him, rage evident in its one relentless eye, since Taeyong had damaged the other one with his sword. The redhead found an opening as the beast approached, and he slid under the beast’s legs, with just enough time for him to stab it in the stomach from below. 

Big mistake. 

The beast fell to its side, unbreathing. In one way, Taeyong had won the battle, and in another, he had subjected himself to the boar’s poisonous blood. A few drops fell onto his cheek and his eye, and dangerously inside his mouth, but this was enough to make it burn. He let out a bloodcurdling scream which made all the hairs in Chittaphon’s skin rise. Taeyong quickly scampered away from the beast, his hands hovering over the parts where the blood dripped, his breath hitched and choppy. He was only breathing from his mouth. 

It was best that he did not drink that blood, lest he would be dead from the first sip. His hunger would have been satiated, indeed, but then he would not have a body to satiate the hunger for. The blood scorched him - it was a good thing eyepatches were fashionable for pirates because he would badly need one after this. Then again… there was a taste of it on his tongue.

“Taeyong!” Chittaphon rushed over to the man, concern riddled in his face. “What’s wrong?”

“B-Blood… Monster’s blood… Poison…” This was all Taeyong could muster.

“Why the fuck did you do that!” 

“Why... wouldn’t... I?”

The rabbit was still in Chittahon hands, so carrying Taeyong back to the lake would be a difficult feat to achieve by himself. He put his soft fingertips on the spots where the blood dripped and there was a small puff smoke coming out from them. Taeyong was seared due to recklessness. The scorch marks would definitely scar, and he would not be able to see from that eye anymore, if left untreated. 

“Can you walk?” asked Chittaphon. 

In an attempt to comfort the pirate, he raked his hand on his hair, just to cushion the pain a little bit, Taeyong could only moan in response. He can’t believe he’s doing this to a filthy pirate, to  _ Captain Scarlet _ of all people but… the man saved his life.

Taeyong nodded slowly, even if he was shuddering in pain. Smoke was starting to emit from the places where the blood splashed, and that was when Chittaphon could sense the utmost urgency. Chittaphon held the bunny in one arm, hoping it would not hop off into the darkness if he held it a little loosely. He inhaled and exhaled, and tried to stay calm. Then, he slung Taeyong’s arm around his shoulder to act as a crutch.

“Take a step,” Chittaphon whispered as he tried to direct Taeyong’s wobbly legs to the right direction. 

Taeyong attempted to plant his feet on the ground, but instead he nearly ended up tumbling forward, Chittaphon had to pull him backward to keep their balance. It was no use - Taeyong was far too weak to move at the moment, and he cannot carry both him and the bunny to the lake. He could resolve to tying Taeyong by the ankles and dragging him back to the lake, but that would not help any of them at all. 

They needed to at least get out of there - the clearing was not a safe one, who knew if there would be another boar attack that could might as well end Chittaphon. Though… it did not really matter if Chittaphon died, he was only a vessel of sorts to Prince Ten. 

“Taeyong,” Chittaphon whispered again, but he saw the pirate’s eyes droop closed, perhaps from fatigue - or perhaps the poison was already taking its toll on him. _ Shit! _ Chittaphon thought. He tried shaking the other man, but it was to no avail. Chittaphon pressed two fingers on the middle of Taeyong’s wrist to check his pulse. He was still alive, yes, but he was also very close to dying. 

Why did it even matter to me if Taeyong died, pondered Chittaphon. Wasn’t this what he wanted? To be rid of the wretched pirate who lusted after blood? But no, it felt like the Taeyong in his arms was a different person from the Captain Scarlet in the stories. This was a boy, a lonely boy, who would risk his life for a total stranger he had only met a few days ago. 

Chittaphon hated to admit it, but he was being soft. 

He reached for the ring on his neck. At the surface, it was just an ordinary ring, but he had infused it with a small tidbit of the power of the Onyx Ring. It was only good for one use, and it would be incredibly stupid of him to use it on  _ Taeyong _ of all people, but he cannot just let this man die. 

“Taeyong,” said Chittaphon, this time sounding much more like a croon. Taeyong still did not respond. The bunny kept quiet during all this, not minding whatever shenanigans the humans were up to. 

Chittaphon sat down on the grass, his legs tucked under his knees. Carefully, he laid Taeyong’s head on his lap, while he set the bunny on his side. (“Don’t hop away, okay?” he told it.) Then, just as Chittaphon took off the ring from his neck, Taeyong, eyes still closed, started heaving, like his breath was up to his throat - like a frightened pig that was close to being slaughtered. His arms started flailing around, looking for something to hold. The brunette gave his hand to the man to calm him down, but instead, he tightened his grip as if wanting to break Chittaphon’s fingers. He pulled away, quickly. 

“Chit… Chittaphon,” Taeyong mumbled through a strained throat, “I can’t -- I can’t see --”

“Shhh,” he brushed Taeyong’s sweaty hair back from his forehead.

“I-- I deserve this,”

_ You do _ , was what Ten would say, but Chittaphon… 

“Shut up. No one deserves to get their eyes burnt off by pigs’ blood.”

“Chit…taphon... I’m… weak…” 

The brunette tugged a small smile. “You think?” 

“I-I’m gonna die,” Taeyong said slowly, “aren’t I?”

Ten would have laughed. He would have announced victory over the wretched Captain Scarlet who had such a shameful death by hunting a magical wild boar with poisonous blood. And yes, Chittaphon and Ten are one and the same - but ah! Chittaphon wants to save this man. He wants to be with him for longer - to get to know him better. 

Taeyong was getting paler, and more limp. His arms were like seaweed at this point, his lips the shade of the sand in the morning.  

“I won’t let you,” he said, finally, when he thought Taeyong would not be able to hear him. 

He pried Taeyong’s mouth open from the chin. Then, with a silent incantation, Chittaphon turned the ring in his hand into a tiny medicine ball and dropped it into his mouth. He slammed the boy’s mouth shut, and waited for the healing to take effect. 

This should do, the ring is powerful enough, Chittaphon thought. He waited for a few moments.  Then, Taeyong stopped breathing. His chest stopped rising and falling, and for the first time since he had lived, Chittaphon felt betrayed by the ring. Had he accidentally killed Taeyong? No - that was not possible! That was not the intention? Or perhaps the ring had read the wrong intentions,  _ Ten’s _ intentions. 

“Taeyong?” Chittaphon shook him, to get him to wake. “TAEYONG!” He yelled, with desperation. “The ring should not fail, it never fails, HOW COULD IT FAIL?” 

Tears. 

An unexpected myriad of tears came running down Chittaphon’s face. Of mourning? He would never admit to such, but of frustration? Yes. The ring failed him for the first time after all. He punched the ground, and he wanted to scream at the rabbit too. He had lost what was somewhat valuable to him. Then, suddenly, the redhead’s finger jerked upwards. 

“Chittaphon, are you… crying?” 

With that, the brunette had stopped weeping. Instead, with his face entirely red, he threw a punch on Taeyong’s jawline which pummeled him off of Chittaphon’s lap. 

“What the fuck?” Taeyong asked.

“ _ That _ was for being a mindless imbecile,” Chittaphon told him. Another punch, this time on the cheek. “ _ That  _ was for dying.” 

Before Taeyong could retort, Chittaphon had already taken his face by the hands. To be safe, he had wiped the blood off of Taeyong’s lips before he would kiss him in the middle of a dark clearing of a quiet forest. Taeyong’s eyes widened in surprise, but he did not reject Chittaphon. Instead he pulled the boy closer by the waist to deepen their kiss. Their only witness was the curious bunny. 

“And  _ that _ ,” Chittaphon said against the redhead’s lips when they parted for air, “was for being alive.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hit me up on [twitter!](http://www.twitter.com/strawberrytens)


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